


Like a Light, We Burn Bright

by OhMyLovely



Series: Love is Madness [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Feels, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, Get Together, Happy, Humor, Inspired by Music, Love Confessions, M/M, this is pretty fluffy stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-01
Updated: 2013-02-01
Packaged: 2017-11-27 20:30:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhMyLovely/pseuds/OhMyLovely
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He couldn't pinpoint the precise moment when his thoughts went from <em>Hey Derek's got a great ass. Mmm, very nice. I wanna bite it.</em> to something more along the lines of <em>God, his face when he smiles is not fair. New mission: make Derek happy because with a smile like that, it's a shame to waste. Also, the guy just deserves to be happy. He's a cool dude</em>, but Stiles just knew he was in deep. </p><p>He was in love with Derek Hale. Well, shit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like a Light, We Burn Bright

**Author's Note:**

> Please, feel free to drop a comment when you're finished and let me know what you think. I love feedback. Thanks!

When things first started getting more physical with them, (and not in the violent way this time) it ranged anywhere from the occasional peck on the lips when saying goodbye or meeting up at the other's house, to a surprise make out session on Stiles' bed when Derek needed him for research. Neither of them took it too seriously or ever expected to have to since there was quite a lack of communication on both ends. But it was hot, fun, and they were both willing to admit they highly enjoyed every minute. It wasn't a problem and it didn't make things awkward like all the movies and cheesy romance novels had everyone believing.  


Maybe it was because they were actually starting to be good friends now that they knew more about each other and Stiles could appreciate Derek's dry sense of humor as much as Derek enjoyed Stiles' sarcastic remarks. Now, they could actually be in the same room without threats of death and other bodily harm. Well, not as many threats, at least. Only a couple every now and then during the week. Anyways, the point was things worked with them. It wasn't quite casual hook-ups or friends with benefits. They haven't even gotten that far yet (sadly, Stiles thought). But it still wasn't _just_ friends. Even Derek could admit that. In the end, they never really talked about what exactly they were and that was okay because no one ever asked. They were both comfortable and, for Stiles at least, that's all that mattered.  


He couldn't pinpoint the precise moment when his thoughts went from _Hey Derek's got a great ass. Mmm, very nice. I wanna bite it._ to something more along the lines of _God, his face when he smiles is not fair. New mission: make Derek happy because with a smile like that, it's a shame to waste. Also, the guy just deserves to be happy. He's a cool dude_ , but Stiles just knew he was in deep. He was in love with Derek Hale. Well, shit.  


It scared him at first because all he could think was how would this work now that he knew just how serious and invested he had become in their... relationship? 'Yeah, let's just call it that. At least in my head.' Stiles thought as he paced about his room. He was wearing his comfy, worn-in pajama pants and an equally worn-in shirt. There were only a few holes, it was still house-appropriate, no matter what Stiles' dad said. His dad also said Stiles would wear a hole through the floor if he kept pacing the way he was. Stiles felt he deserved a moment of cliche pacing as a way to release his panic and worry since he just discovered he was in love with Derek. It wasn't that he didn't want to be in love with him, quite the opposite. It was just a bit of an overwhelming thought to wake up to one seemingly normal morning. His panic became even more real when he remembered the two of them were supposed to meet up later to hang out. Things were going to be so weird, things would change.... He ended up texting Derek to let him know he wasn't going to be able to make it today, only feeling a little bit guilty about cancelling on his friend last minute before going back to worrying.  


For weeks he silently freaked out over this only to realize that nothing had to change. His love for Derek wasn't like all of a sudden someone flipped a light switch in his head and filled it with a sudden, blinding white. It was more like the gradual, slow raise of the dimmer, causing the light to burn brighter and brighter as it went until it covered and shone down on everything in sight, making things clear and crisp like never before.  


They were both happy (for Stiles, it was the happiest he had been since losing his mother) and they were great friends now. Nothing could change that. Stiles wouldn't let anything change that. Not even himself.  


So yeah, maybe one day in the future he would tell Derek that he loved him. Was in love with him. And who knows, maybe Derek would tell Stiles that he loved him too. But right now, none of that mattered to Stiles. Sure, it would be awesome and wonderful and beautiful and many other nice words, but Stiles could appreciate what they had going and enjoyed the time he was able to spend with Derek and see him in a way no one else could. He was pleased with just knowing how much love filled his heart when they were together. Even just the passing thought of Derek's smile or his warm, fond eyes when listening to Stiles wax poetic about curly fries and comics would send Stiles' pulse thrumming a little faster and his face flushing a little brighter.  


And now he was going to stop before he started getting sappy and began to wax poetic about Derek's _face_. It was bound to happen eventually.  


Stiles couldn't help the way he got when thinking about Derek nowadays. He was in _so_ much deeper than he had first thought. And boy did he love it. Lots of love going on in one Mr. Stiles Stilinski. His face slipped into a soft smile as he thought about everything he loved about Derek. Hell, he even loved those silly bunny teeth and they way that he could now cut up with Stiles. How he could relax for once and had no problem doing so as he draped across the entirety of Stiles' bed. Yeah, **lots** of love going on for Stiles. The guy was so much more than Stiles could have ever imagined that first day they actually met.  


_There's a She-Wolf in your closet_  


Stiles scrambled to grab his phone from his desk, Derek's personal ring tone going off. He changed it to She Wolf by Shakira after Derek kissed him for the first time. The story was pretty funny, especially since the song fit so well with it. Stiles smiled goofily at the memory as he thumbed across his phone, bringing up Derek's message. To this day, he swears his heart _actually_ stopped for a few beats.  


_Be there soon. Need to talk._  


His brain must have short circuited too because he simply stood there reading those six simple words over and over again. His mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to figure out what Derek could possibly need to talk to him about. Was the pack okay? Was there a new threat in town? What trouble would they be getting into this time? Did the pack get into trouble? Did Derek know Stiles was head over heels in love with him? Was he coming here to put an end to things because Stiles fell too hard? Would Derek still want him as a friend?  


Stiles ran out of his room and down the stairs to wait in the living room for Derek. He flung himself onto the couch and tried to keep his fidgeting to a minimum. _Tried_ being the key word here.  


Stiles was sure any werewolf within ten miles of him could hear his heart as it beat faster and faster. His leg bounced erratically from where he was sitting on the couch, and as much as he tried not to fidget, it did no good. What had to be for the fifth time within the last minute alone, he stared down at the open message on his phone that Derek had sent just minutes ago.  


_Be there soon. Need to talk._  


The knock at the door startled Stiles out of his thoughts, his heart jumping slightly, and it opened before he could even stand up fully from the couch. Derek shut the door behind him and made his way over to sit down next to Stiles who had already flopped back down into the cushions. Derek's leg pressed lightly against Stiles' own and Stiles sent a happy smile over at him when he saw the easy, calm set to his features. Nothing was wrong.  


Now Stiles was left wondering just what they needed to talk about. The silence that filled the room as they looked at each other made Stiles' ears ring as it carried on for longer than he was used to when around Derek. One of them was always talking or making noise of some kind. Stiles sometimes more than Derek, but Derek always talked back or made some noise to show he was listening or how he felt about something Stiles said. The more-noise-than-words conversations usually happened when they were laying in Stiles bed and Derek was curled up in the blankets, nose stuffed in either Stiles' pillow or Stiles' neck but still actively participating in the conversation.  


He could hear his own blood pumping through his body now, drowning out the ringing and taking the forefront. His ears felt like they were throbbing and his fingers began to twitch, needing to do _something_ other than just sitting there. He took in a steadying breath, trying to slow down his heartbeat that he no doubt knew Derek could hear. But would he know what it meant?  


"I'm in love with you."  


Holy shit. Those words definitely did not just come out of Stiles' mouth. No, really. Those were not his own lips forming those precious, precious words. Holy. Shit.  


Stiles' brain might have short circuited. Again.  


Derek sat and watched with a look on his face that was mixed with fond amusement and hesitant worry. He was used to this by now when it came to Stiles and he just had to remind himself to wait until Stiles actually said something, _anything_ , before reacting. Even now, after so much time together and all the things they knew about each other, it was still hard for Derek not to react when Stiles didn't say anything immediately, just like it was still hard for Stiles to not turn cold and bitter at the first sign of conflict. But they were both so much better now than they were in the beginning.  


"Well, shit."  


Okay, not quiet what Stiles was expecting to fall out of his mouth. The familiar look of bitterness was starting to creep into Derek's face and Stiles could see the man beginning to close off. He tried to keep it at bay, grabbing one of Derek's hands in his own while placing the other against Derek's neck, curving his fingers around until they formed a light grip to keep Derek in place. It was a nice illusion to have even though he knew Derek could easily get out of his hold. He smiled at Derek, bright and wide and definitely a lot goofy, but he couldn't care less because he was just so dang happy.  


"I'm in love with you, too. I am amazingly, giddily, stupidly, completely--"  


Derek pressed his lips against Stiles' to cut him off because he was apparently pleased with how much Stiles was in love with him and didn't need to hear any more of Stiles' adverbs describing just how much, even though there were plenty more he could have shared and definitely would later when he wasn't busy kissing his boyfriend.  


They were totally boyfriends now. Who were in love with each other. And would totally flaunt it when they went out later after they finished showing just how much they loved each other-- at least Stiles would flaunt it. Holding hands and walking down the sidewalk in town with Derek as they headed to the diner they both liked would be the perfect way to flaunt it. Casual yet still obvious enough that there was no mistaking they were together. That they were on a date.  


He was totally going to play footsy with Derek at the diner.  


**Author's Note:**

> Welp, ta-da! I'd love to hear what you think about this and anything that you think I could do better with. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Also, I'm thinking about writing another fic with the story behind their first kiss. Yes? No? Let me know what you think about it.


End file.
